A 44-year-old woman in Florida allegedly killed her two young children before taking her own life, authorities reported. The incident occurred while the children's father was abroad on business. Deputies discovered the bodies after the father requested a welfare check.
In a tragic incident in Lakewood Ranch near Bradenton, Florida, Monika Rubacha, 44, killed her son Josh James, 14, and daughter Emma James, 11, before ending her own life, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. The discovery was made around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday when deputies responded to a welfare check call from the home's owner, who was out of the country.
The father, on a business trip to South America, had been unable to reach his wife and contacted authorities. He returned on Friday morning and was informed of the deaths upon arrival. Sheriff's Office spokesman Randy Warren described the scene as "unimaginable" and noted that no prior calls had been made to the residence. The family had relocated from Missouri approximately three years earlier.
Warren indicated that the deaths involved planning, stating, "there was some planning involved, enough to where [Rubacha] knew what she was doing." He added, "This is a horrible thing for the deputies to have to witness. Even worse, for the father and the husband, who was on his way back from South America. He flew in [Friday] morning and had to be notified of what happened here. It's an incredible emotional day for him. It's not a good scene at all."
Authorities described the scene as violent but have not disclosed the method of the killings or a specific motive. The property, located in the 8200 block of Pavia Way, is valued at about $1.4 million.
